Island of Lemurs: Madagascar takes audiences on a spectacular journey to the remote and wondrous world of Madagascar, where lemurs arrived millions of years ago as castaways. They’ve since evolved into hundreds of diverse species, but are now highly...

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Narrated by Academy Award® winner Jeff Bridges, Dream Big: Engineering Our World will transform how you think about engineering. From the Great Wall of China and the world’s tallest buildings to underwater robots and solar cars, Dream Big...

Experience being aboard a modern carrier at sea in the new giant-screen film Aircraft Carrier: Guardian of the Seas, premiering at the Fleet Science Center on Friday, November 10, 2017. This film is screening in California only at the Fleet Science...

Does toast always land butter-side down? What keeps you drier: running in the rain or walking through it? Can you really pull a tablecloth off of a fully set table without disturbing a dish? In this amazing hands-on exhibition, you can put these myths to...

Game Masters: The Exhibition showcases the world’s best video game designers, from the arcade era to today’s console and online games. And with 100+ playable games, it’s game on! (No quarters needed.)
The work of more than 30 designers who have made a...

Dream! Design! Build! Explore the Fleet's collection of engineering activities in Dream! Design! Build! This exhibition features the classic favorite Block Busters, the versatile Fit-a-Brick Build Zone and the newest addition to the engineering...

Explore the Fleet's classic collection of hands-on science exhibits, guaranteed to engage your mind and appeal to your senses. Located in the Fleet's Main Gallery, these interactive science exhibits may surprise you with new discoveries about the world...

Some people think video games are only good for mindless entertainment, but technology developed in the gaming industry is being used for everything from brain research to drug development to innovative therapies for stroke patients. On select Thursdays...

Young Scientists is a hands-on preschool science program offered by the Fleet Science Center. This program provides informal learning experiences that support and enhance exploration, create excitement and facilitate scientific discoveries.
The program...

Fleet Night of Science will be back in March 2018 with a big party to celebrate the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering.
Until then, check out this special event:
Exclusive Private Screening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Find all the event...

The third Saturday of every month, early access to galleries 9-10 a.m. IMAX showing at 10 a.m.
The Fleet invites the Autism Spectrum Community to enjoy our museum through this special opportunity. Adults and families with children with autism can enjoy...

Stop by on Saturdays to play, innovate and solve problems with other curious minds in the Tinkerers’ Club, led by our in-house inventors. Take your invention home and share your creation and stories with friends. Supplies are limited. Advance...

Register now for Winter Camp 2017!
Looking for something exciting, fun and educational this winter break? The Fleet Science Center is offering two weeks of full-day science fun this winter! Grades 1–3 can enjoy a variety of fun, educational, hands-on...

In conjunction with the Center for Ethics in Science and Technology, the Fleet Science Center welcomes guests to encounter science from an ethical viewpoint. Held on the first Wednesday of the month, from October through June, this ongoing series brings...

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Join us on the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. or 8:15 p.m. for a tour of the solar system narrated by the Fleet’s astronomer. Journey through the cosmos with us as we explore a new topic each month.
For optimal viewing, each show is...

What the Top Sellers in Science Geekitude Are – Then Added a Bunch of Staff Picks!

We Can Bring An Assortment in Studio, and Have Pix Available Of Each One––Call Susan!

December 11, 2012; San Diego––The North Star Science Store at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is a local secret for holiday shoppers who are looking for amazing, fun––and sometimes even secretly educational––gifts for all ages. The Fleet is open 365 days a year, so for procrastinators looking for that last-minute really cool gift – we’ve got it! We’re even open on Christmas––but not til 11:30AM.

In order to cover all kinds of holiday gifting choices, we asked Senior Retail Manager Dave Miller & his amazing sales associate elves what the top sellers in science geekitude are – then added a bunch of staff picks!

The top-selling winners are:

Hoberman Sphere––A classic and a favorite of kids and adults everywhere. The sphere expands from 9" to 30" with a magical motion motion using a combination of geometry, engineering, and beauty that amazes everyone that sees it. Everyone in the house should have their own, because nobody will want to share. It can be thrown, bounced, kicked, spun, rolled or suspended as a cool, kinetic mobile from the ceiling. This amazing toy is a tool for teaching and an object of art both educational and fun. Age 4+. $19.99

Nebula Balls––If you are looking for a cool lightshow for parties or an educational demonstration, these plasma balls blow people's minds. There is something to be said about our fixation with electricity. If Tesla wasn't so obsessed with his inventions, we wouldn't even be using electricity right now! The inert gasses inside the blown glass ball creates plasma when charged. However, one does not truly understand its beauty until you have seen it for yourself. Two sizes available. $21.99 and $49.99

Ultimate Geek Pen Five awesome tools, and yes, it does write too! The best tool for writing in the dark; UV light, red laser pointer, bright white LED too! This high tech gadget has enough bells and whistles to make most geeks drool. Twist the shaft one way and you get a ballpoint pen, the other for a stylus tip for PDAs and games. The top button turns on the laser pointer, the bottom button cycles through the flashlight and UV light; it even has a flexible rod for precision aiming! $14.99

Medusa Jellyfish Lamp You will feast on the beautiful eco-jellyfish scene. And you can take from the jellyfish tank: colorful jellyfish are relaxing and swimming leisurely! And it has a four hour cut off switch, perfect for a child’s night light! Lifelike jellyfish movement. With 3 small jellyfish. Multi-color changing light effects. Two sizes available. $24.95 and $49.99

The store staff makes these popular suggestions:

Geek Guide To World Domination––from the massive mind of an alpha-geek comes hacks, puzzles, and fantastically useless facts no self-respecting geek can possibly live a second longer without. Some of the delights you'll peruse: Five Thought Experiments You Can Do Without Getting Out of Bed, World Leaders Who Also Happen to Be Hot, Spam Haiku, Futurama Quotes, and How to Ask Where the Bathroom is in Twelve Different Languages. $13.95

In "The Origin of Species," Charles Darwin presented evidence that species evolve over time to fit their environment better. Do the Darwin Awards really represent examples of human evolution in action? How much have we developed? Discover The Darwin Awards Evolution In Action: the dark humor, engaging stories, and mordant social commentary from one of the most popular humor websites, now available in a series of books. Do not miss it! $14.00

Astronaut Ice Cream... There is no place like space to enjoy a delicious ice cream. Super Yummy! Find the great tasting freeze dried snack that Astronauts eat and love; add all your favorite flavors and enjoy! Originally developed for the early Apollo Space missions, it’s frozen to -40 degrees, vacuum dried and placed in a special foil pouch. $3.99

Larvaes and Crickets... Fixated with insects? Try these. Larvaes and crickets are full of protein and calcium; eaten fried, sauteed, boiled, and roasted, these are common snack insects eaten in Mexico, Thailand, and Cambodia. $3.99

There are so many choices for science-y t-shirts, my faves are “Science is awesome” T-shirt $14.99/kids, $19.99/adults and Einstein Simplified T-shirt $14.99/kids, $19.99/adults

From the rest of the staff:

Kris loves the Airzooka––her brother and brother-in-law both get a huge kick out of blasting balls of air across the room at various targets. If you’re stumped looking for a gift for a male in their 20’s, this might be the gift for you!

Kim covets, but will gift for now, several beauties from the new Steampunk jewelry line to her most deserving friends. The ladies of the Fleet want them for themselves - maybe others should get the cool Steampunk books instead!

For all of the (many) lovable nerds in Wendy’s life, the Ultimate Geek Pen makes a great gift. A laser pointer *and* a stylus? A flashlight *and* a UV light? Oh, and a pen, too! It addresses five nerdy needs in one awesome present.

Julie finds the North Star Science Store to be one stop shopping for stocking stuffer items! For boys & girls the choices are endless. I picked cool pencils, key chains, (I liked the Star Wars ones the best) and toy dinosaurs!

Susan’s three little nephews go crazy with the power drill and bright plastic parts of the Builderific construction set. They can make cool things together or alone, and even put the pieces away for the next project!

Cheri gives the great metal stocking suffers by Kikkerland - wind it up, pull the string, create your own song on a music box. Lots of fun!

Do you have those friends or relatives who are fanatics and are crazily obsessed with a franchise? Well so does Tamra who bought a Star Wars keychain for a friend who is just absolutely nuts for Star Wars!

A gift for someone he just absolutely loves, Ron bought his goddaughter a butterfly shirt. Not only does it have one of the most beautiful insect on it, but it also changes colors in the sun!

Don’t know what present to get for kids? Look no further! Buy them glow-in-the-dark shirts! Jack bought some with Albert Einstein and a black hole on them for his friends’ kids.

We are the top choice when it comes to those nerdy siblings or science majors! Amanda’s sister is both nerdy AND a biology major which is why she bought her the amazing Space Age crystals and the oh-so-cute Giant Plush microbes.

Looking for something fun and out of the ordinary, Julie bought her husband a glow-in-the-dark Albert Einstein t-shirt! But it doesn’t end there! She plans on buying her daughter the new Steampunk Octopus necklace.

Leigh was able to find something for friends and family ––the Wiggly Giggly to keep her friend’s baby entertained, Flowers in a Can for her green-thumbed sister, and for her sister’s fisherman boyfriend a very realistic shark keychain.

Want something savory and one-of-a-kind to fill up those stockings? Here’s an idea from Marcella! She bought her niece and nephew Astronaut Ice Cream from the North Star Science Store because you just can’t get it anywhere else!

John loves the Moon Clock––as our brightest and nearest celestial neighbor, he thinks it will be a heavenly gift for his lovely new bride!

About the Fleet Science Center

The Fleet Science Center connects people of all ages to the possibilities and power of science to create a better future. At the science center, you can explore and investigate more than 100 interactive exhibits that pique your curiosity and become immersed in an IMAX film adventure that shows the wonders of the planet—and beyond—in the Eugene Heikoff and Marilyn Jacobs Heikoff Giant Dome Theater. For young science enthusiasts, the Fleet hosts school field trips, science workshops and educational camps. For adults, we offer events like Fleet Night of Science and community events, such as Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar. In the community, we provide free neighborhood science events weekly through 52 Weeks of Science. Teachers are encouraged to join our Teacher Partner Program and take advantage of our professional development opportunities. Additionally, at the Fleet Science Center, visitors will find unique educational toys and games, books, IMAX DVDs and more in the North Star Science Store, and pizzas, sandwiches, salads and healthy treats in Craveology. Located at 1875 El Prado, two blocks south of the San Diego Zoo on Park Blvd., the Fleet is San Diego’s science center. Science starts here and opens a world of possibility. For information regarding current admission prices, please call (619) 238-1233 or visit our website at fleetscience.org.